Abstract
On Mars, seasonal martian flow features known as recurring slope lineae (RSL) are prevalent on sun-facing slopes and are associated with salts. On Earth, subsurface interactions of gypsum with chlorides and oxychlorine salts wreak havoc: instigating sinkholes, cave collapse, debris flows, and upheave. Here, we illustrate (i) the disruptive potential of sulfate-chloride reactions in laboratory soil crust experiments, (ii) the formation of thin films of mixed ice-liquid water “slush” at −40° to −20°C on salty Mars analog grains, (iii) how mixtures of sulfates and chlorine salts affect their solubilities in low-temperature environments, and (iv) how these salt brines could be contributing to RSL formation on Mars. Our results demonstrate that interactions of sulfates and chlorine salts in fine-grained soils on Mars could absorb water, expand, deliquesce, cause subsidence, form crusts, disrupt surfaces, and ultimately produce landslides after dust loading on these uns
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NASA sunsetting collaboration with Russia
NASA has moved to wean itself off Russia by reducing its staff and phasing out joint projects in Moscow after Elon Musk’s SpaceX ended America’s reliance on Russian rockets.
According to Russian media reports, NASA has started to lay off almost all staff members of its liaison office in Moscow, minimize personnel stationed at the astronaut training center in Star City, casualize the research team at the IMBP bio-medical experiment facility, and phase out joint programs.
“This is due to the end of regular flights of NASA astronauts on Russian spacecraft”.
To Infinity and Beyond, or at Least to Mars
Mars is the next true destination for humans in space exploration.
The Perseverance rover, pictured on Mars in a NASA illustration, is due to arrive there in February aboard a rocket launched last July. Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/REUTERS Jan. 8, 2021 1:24 pm ET
David W. Brown’s “Mars or Bust” (Review, Dec. 19) is spot on: Mars is the next true destination for humans in space exploration. Over the past 20 years NASA’s Mars Exploration Program has changed our understanding of the planet’s extensive rivers and oceans, ability to support past or present life, and ability to support human explorers. Human-scale entry and landing systems are the only real remaining technology hurdle, yet Mars Science Laboratory”s Curiosity and Perseverance landing systems have significantly moved us forward, and with pinpoint landing they can become the explorer’s resupply lines. The first round-trip mission to
autoevolution 1 Jan 2021, 8:00 UTC ·
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It’s not long now until the most ambitious human mission to the Red Planet arrives there. The Perseverance rover is on course and well on track of making a perfect landing in the Jezero Crater in February 2021, and NASA is planning to make a spectacle of it. 1 photo
Because a lot of its efforts are now being targeted at pleasing civilians and giving them a feeling of participation in all things extra-terrestrial, NASA released this week what it calls the Landing Toolkit for the mission. It comprises pretty much everything one needs for the experience of watching the landing and making it a memorable one, from posters to challenges.